1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatuses for detecting connection of a load device to a source device and, more specifically, to detecting connection of a load device to a power converter.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Various communication protocols rely on communication signaling between mating devices (e.g., source and load devices), for power and data transfer applications. In such cases, it may desirable for the source device to detect whether or not a load device is in fact connected to the source device. For example, if the source device is a regulated power supply that supports various types of load devices or various modes of powering load devices (e.g., variable supply voltages), the source device might need to identify whether or not a load device is connected and optionally the type of load device that is connected to it in order to provide the appropriate level of voltage to safely power the load device. Some newer generation load devices have the capability to identify themselves to the source device by exchanging handshake signals or performing predefined discovery sequences. However, some legacy load devices may not have the capability to perform such discovery.
In such situations, alternative approaches are needed to enable a source device to determine whether or not a load device is connected to it, and optionally, the type of load device that is connected.